ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIPS

Otts endow a $50,000 scholarship to be awarded to a student-athlete studying business at IU Southeast

In 2017, two longtime advocates of Indiana University Southeast athletics endowed a one-of-a-kind scholarship to support Grenadier student-athletes.

Dot and Denny Ott, founders and owners of Clarksville construction company Dennis Ott & Co. Inc., committed $50,000 to create the D. Ott Family Scholarship at IU Southeast. The Otts’ scholarship will support a business student who participates in one of IU Southeast’s seven NAIA-sanctioned sports and maintains a 3.2 GPA.

The scholarship, which rewards both the scholastic and athletic strengths a student-athlete must balance, was the first of its kind at IU Southeast.

“The Ott family have been tremendous advocates for IU Southeast athletics for many years,” said Director of Athletics Joe Glover. “This gift is one of the most significant individual contributions that our department has received. This endowed scholarship ensures that the Ott family name will forever be linked to the Grenadier Athletic Department and its most successful student-athletes.”

Denny Ott attended IU Southeast in the days it was known as the Indiana University Jeffersonville Extension Center. He also played on the school’s basketball team, which, at the time, was an extramural squad that competed in an industrial league and was coached by an accounting professor. Ott completed his education at IU Bloomington in 1968, the same year the Jeffersonville extension center became IU Southeast and began awarding degrees.

“I believe in the power of education because that education is what got me to where I am today,” Denny Ott said. “Education teaches you how to think and how to solve problems. I have been blessed beyond what I deserve, and this is an opportunity for me to help provide for somebody else.”

Dot Ott started Dennis Ott & Co. Inc. alongside her husband before moving on to open her own construction company, Ott & Company. She is devoted to the development of children and young adults in the community, and she volunteers for the Salvation Army and other area non-profits.

“It is my hope that this scholarship will provide a life-changing opportunity to the recipient, and that they will, in turn, be able to give back one day themselves,” Dot Ott said. “IU Southeast is such an important part of this area, and I’m proud but also humbled to have an opportunity to help its student-athletes.”

IU Southeast athletics offers NAIA Division II men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s tennis, volleyball, baseball and softball.

Couple with close ties to IU Southeast establish scholarship for student-athletes

Terry and Jane Spitznagel have been volunteering and giving back to IU Southeast for several decades. In recognition of the university’s impact on their lives, and to support educational opportunities for future generations, the Spitznagels decided to fund the Terry and Jane Spitznagel Athletic Scholarship in 2018.

“We both took classes at IU Southeast when it was still in Jeffersonville and have been inspired by the way it has grown,” said the Spitznagels. “The university has always been a part of our lives and we wish our involvement to be a permanent one.”

A two-time IU Southeast graduate, Jane received her Bachelor of Science in elementary education in 1978 before gaining a Master of Science in counseling in 1985. Shortly after graduating with her master’s degree, Jane joined the staff of IU Southeast as the director of Alumni Relations, a position she held until 1997. Upon leaving that role, she worked in the University Division (now known as the Advising Center for Exploratory Students) for several years, before retiring in 2011.

Terry took classes at IU Southeast before receiving his Associate of Science in mechanical engineering technology at the Purdue Polytechnic Institute in 1980. Terry began volunteering in the athletics department at IU Southeast 35 years ago and continues to keep the game book today.

“Terry and Janie Spitznagel and their near endless contributions to IU Southeast athletics have been impactful beyond measure,” said Joe Glover, director of athletics at IU Southeast. “One of our longest volunteers and supporters of student-athletes, the Spitznagels continue to give of themselves to allow our program to grow. The creation of this scholarship is another in a long line of contributions from the Spitznagel family that will continue to help shape the future of Grenadier athletics. We are very fortunate to have their support and I am personally thankful to call them great friends.”

The scholarship will be awarded to a male and female sophomore student-athlete that demonstrates financial need and meets the minimum GPA requirements. Special consideration will be given to underrepresented populations, including but not limited to financially challenged students and students with diverse cultural experiences. Preference will also be given to athletes majoring in education.

“Being involved in any extracurricular activity requires a lot of time and dedication on the part of the student,” said the Spitznagels. “Hopefully, this scholarship will allow athletes to give their full time to their studies and their sport without having to worry about finances.”